TEAM
Sarah Roxburgh, Esq.
Co-Executive Director and Chief of Operations
Sarah Roxburgh became co-Executive Director and Chief of Operations at VLS in 2010, after previously serving as a staff attorney. She has led VLS through several capacity-building initiatives, including with Social Innovation Forum (2014), the Nonprofit Learning Institute (2016), and Social Venture Partners, Boston (2018-2021). Sarah has served on Social Innovation Forum’s Alumni Council, which helps identify gaps in support for nonprofits. In 2019, she was named co-Lawyer of the Year by the Frank J. Murray Inn of Court.
Sarah received her B.A. from Northeastern University and her J.D. from New England Law | Boston. Upon graduation, she received the New England Law | Boston Dean Timothy J. Cronin, Jr. Memorial Award for the graduate with the most outstanding contribution to public service.
Anna Richardson, Esq.
Co-Executive Director and Chief Counsel
Anna Richardson became co-Executive Director and Chief Counsel at VLS in 2010, after previously serving as a staff attorney. In 2019, she was named co-Lawyer of the Year by the Frank J. Murray Inn of Court and was also a Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly "Top Women in the Law" honoree. In addition to her legal work at VLS, Anna has led trainings on veterans’ legal issues for the Boston Bar Association, the Legal Advocacy and Resource Center, and various legal services agencies throughout Massachusetts.
Anna received her B.A. from Boston College and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law. She currently serves on the board of the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, appointed by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Angie Vargas Martin, Esq.
Pro Bono Director
Angie Vargas Martin directs VLS's pro bono network, which features 200-plus volunteer attorneys from around the state. She has practiced public interest law, advocating for the rights of individuals in underserved populations, since 2008. Angie also serves as the organization's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) officer, spearheading internal and external DEIB trainings and initiatives.
Angie has worked as a staff attorney at the Clubhouse Family Legal Support Project of the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee and at the Disability Law Center (DLC). She spent almost 9 years at DLC, advocating for Massachusetts residents with mental health, physical and intellectual disabilities in cases involving abuse & neglect, human rights, housing, and employment discrimination.
Angie received her B.A. from Stonehill College and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.
Eve Elliott, Esq.
Director of Student and Fellowship Programs &
Senior Staff Attorney
Eve Elliott first joined VLS as a Law Student Advocate in 2010 and then as a Staff Attorney in 2013. She specializes in a variety of civil matters, including family law, housing, public benefits, and consumer debt. Eve coordinates VLS's legal clinics at the Edith Nourse Rogers VA Medical Center, in Bedford, the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center in Haverhill, and the Norfolk County Veterans Treatment Court, in Dedham. She also oversees VLS's student and fellowship programs.
Eve is a regularly featured panelist on Boston Bar Association webinars for attorneys and law students.
Eve received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and her J.D. from New England Law | Boston. She worked as a paralegal prior to law school with a solo practitioner, a large Boston law firm, and in-house at an area investment company.
Julie Frohlich, Esq.
Senior Staff Attorney
Julie Frohlich draws upon decades of civil trial experience to assist homeless and low-income veterans in a range of civil legal practice areas, including landlord/tenant law, family law, and benefits. Julie spent years as a solo and small-firm practitioner in addition to 17 years practicing at Goulston & Storrs, the last 13 years as a partner, and 2 years at Hale and Dorr. Prior to private practice, Julie clerked for Justice Ruth I. Abrams of the Supreme Judicial Court. She also spent 16 years as a volunteer attorney for the Massachusetts Legal Clinic for the Homeless, at Pine Street Inn, and St. Francis House shelters.
Julie graduated magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law, where she was an editor on the law review, and received a B.A. in political science from The George Washington University. She has held leadership positions in the legal community, including with the Boston Bar Association and GLBTQ Advocates & Defenders, and has frequently lectured and written on litigation issues.
Heather Rick
Business Manager & Program Data Analyst
Heather Rick began with VLS handling veteran triage, drawing on her experience and training as an interfaith chaplain to create a welcoming and compassionate environment for veterans seeking legal services. Heather now brings her knowledge of VLS's infrastructure and work flow processes to VLS's business management and program data needs.
She earned an A.S. in paralegal studies from Mount Wachusett Community College, a B.A. in religion from Smith College, and an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, where she specialized in religion and pop culture in the United States.
Scott Pitta, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Scott Pitta is a US Army combat veteran who served in Iraq from late 2003 until early 2005 as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. After his time in the Army, he worked as a helicopter pilot for various federal government contractors and as an emergency medical helicopter captain.
Scott earned his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 2020 as a distinguished graduate of the Trial and Appellate Advocacy program. Scott brings experience representing clients in various probate and family court cases, as well as administrative cases. He holds a Master’s of Aeronautical/Astronautical Science and is an FAA certified airline transport pilot.
Hayden Latimer-Ireland
Member, ALA-Massachusetts
Hayden Latimer-Ireland is serving at Veterans Legal Services during her one-year term as a member of the AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts (ALA-Massachusetts), supporting the legal services team with general client advocacy tasks. Hayden grew up in Somerville, MA, and graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Commonwealth Honors College in May 2022.
While completing her undergraduate studies, Hayden spent two years working in her university's legal services office. Her experience sparked her interest in civil legal aid work. She is excited to advance her passion and expertise in leveraging the law as a tool to improve people’s lives throughout her service period with VLS and beyond.
Julia Papasodoro
Eligibility & Outreach Specialist
Julia Papasodoro is in her third year at Northeastern University, where she is pursuing a B.S. in Health Science and minoring in Psychology. She is originally from Burlington, Massachusetts.
After completing a clinical placement at another non-profit organization in the Spring of 2021 through Northeastern’s co-op program, Julia decided that she wanted to spend her next co-op with a non-profit organization that is focused on her interests in law and social work. Julia feels very lucky to have found Veterans Legal Services, where she is able to combine exploring those professional interests on the ground with the chance to work with a wonderful and supportive team of colleagues.
LAW STUDENT & VOLUNTEER ADVOCATES
Yasmyn Camp
Law Student Advocate
Yasmyn is in her second year of studies at New England Law | Boston. She is from Yonkers, New York. She graduated from New York University with a Bachelors in Economics and Business Studies. She also received her Masters degree in Politics and Government from St. John's University. She has been coaching figure skating professionally for ten years. She competed in figure skating from age three until she went off to college in singles and synchronized skating.
In her spare time she likes to read, go to the gym and play golf. She loves giving back to her community in any way possible. She enrolled in law school because she believes in social justice and change within the legal system. She cares for the less fortunate and disadvantaged communities. Therefore, she believes that she can provide them with the right legal guidance and be a strong advocate for their community. Yasmyn joined Veterans Legal Services because she has family members who are veterans and she believes that what veterans do for our country is so admirable and should not be taken for granted. In addition, she would like to help veterans with their civil issues because they deserve equal legal services just ike any other group of individuals.
Anthony Difabio
Law Student Advocate
Anthony is in his second year of studies at New England Law | Boston. He is from Ridgefield, Connecticut and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut in May 2021.
Ever since his time at Quinnipiac, Anthony has dedicated his time to learn as much as he can about criminal advocacy and representing indigent clients when going up against the government. Anthony joined Veterans Legal Services to help pay it forward to the veterans who served our country for our liberties by helping provide legal services.
Dylan Hadaway
Law Student Advocate
Dylan is in his third year of studies at New England Law | Boston. He is from Baltimore, Maryland and graduated with a B.A. in Intelligence and National Security Studies from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina in May 2019.
Dylan has explored many different aspects of the law during his law school career and has focused his studies in assisting the less fortunate in any way he can. He is very excited to assist the veterans of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in their civil legal matters and is eager to learn as much as he can throughout the experience.
Teppei Okamoto
Volunteer Advocate
Teppei holds an LL.M. in American Law from Boston University School of Law. He is originally from Hiroshima, Japan, and received his Juris Doctor from Daito Bunka University School of Law, Tokyo.
Teppei has a strong interest in public interest law and is grateful for the opportunity to serve Massachusetts veterans through his current internship at VLS. After a pro bono experience with the National Veterans Legal Services Program in Washington, D.C. in 2021, Teppei felt a deep professional desire to continue learning about and supporting veterans. At Boston University School of Law, Teppei studied fundamental American law, as well as the history of justice and law in the United States. Teppei is proud to support veterans facing adversity by helping them receive the legal services they need and deserve. Teppei runs full marathons, loves to read, and loves New England history and culture.
ACCESS TO JUSTICE FELLOWS
Pamela Meister, Esq.
Access to Justice Fellow
Pamela Meister is an Access to Justice Fellow who works with VLS, primarily on policy issues. She retired from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine (BORIM) in 2015. While at BORIM, she prosecuted complaints of physician misconduct and represented the Board in complex administrative proceedings. She also advised staff concerning privacy laws and public records.
Pamela spent 12 years as an Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts, specializing in elder and consumer matters. She managed a U.S. Department of Justice grant to train law enforcement officials and advocates to better identify, investigate and prosecute elder abuse. She headed a multidisciplinary team that developed statewide conferences and drafted elder policies for police departments. Pamela is a frequent speaker on elder and consumer issues and recipient of an Attorney General Award for Excellence.
Earlier in her legal career, Pamela was a trial attorney in the Civil Division, Torts Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where she defended the government in multi-million dollar toxic tort cases. She also worked in private practice in Massachusetts and Texas. Pamela has served on the boards of the Women’s Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Foundation. She is active in her local Historical Commission and Historical Society.
Michelle Wolf, Esq.
Access to Justice Fellow
Michelle Wolf is a 2022-2023 Lawyers Clearinghouse Access to Justice Fellow and is working with VLS to explore the possibility of tapping the vast Boston-area medical community to provide free or low-cost independent medical opinions to support veterans seeking disability benefits from the VA and educate attorneys and clients about how to collaborate with medical personnel most effectively.
Michelle spent the first 20 years of her legal career as a health care lawyer, and in 2012 she opened her own law practice focusing exclusively on representing veterans and their
families seeking disability and survivors’ benefits from the VA. She has singlehandedly helped more than 60 clients and secured well over $1.5 million in benefits for them. Michelle is also an active member of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates and the Boston Bar Association’s Veterans and Servicemembers Law Forum.
Michelle received a B.S. in Psychology from Georgetown University, an M.B.A. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law.